Page 25 of Sugarplum

Julie sighed but it was something filled with joy instead of exhaustion and frustration. “Chace, you are one Class A bastard from hell.”

“I know. They ran out of space down there so the devil kicked me out.”

“Well, let’s show ‘em what they’re all missing,” Julie commented as she stood back up. “Come on, I think I know what to do. I have an idea on what to do so we can pull this damn move off.”

He relented, got up, and they started practicing again.

Chapter Eleven

By the end of the week Julie felt like she was completely reborn in a bath of fire and blood. For the reunion party she decided to go with a short skirt blue dress with a daring low-V back and only one shoulder strap. It was the shortest, skimpiest dress she ever wore that wasn’t intended for sex. Melissa even got her a pair of four-inch high heels to go with the dress and helped her tie her hair up in a bun. This fully exposed her back, shoulders and neck.

Chace, on the other hand, decided to go much more aggressive but still traditional. He went with a black, two-button tuxedo with wide lapels that gave him the perfect opportunity to wear a good bowtie.

They had to take an hour-long drive to get to the hotel reception where the reunion party was held. The moment they got there Julie’s eyes went wide with the beauty of the Christmas décor that blended so well with the soft blanket of snow outside.

“Fuck, that’s a lot of people,” Julie noted as soon as they went through the doors. There were at least two hundred people already there.

Chace noticed too and he tapped her shoulder to point out Sofia and Victor. They were up at the main table alongside Jessica and Talbert. A lot of the school council members back when they were in high school were all there. Both Chace and Julie tried to slip in unnoticed but Talbert saw them and called them out. With a sigh of grief, both Chace and Julie headed towards their table.

Talbert, a tall lanky man with thick glasses and a dark blonde goatee, had them seated. “Are you guys ready for your big dance?”

“Huh? Uhm, yeah, why?” Julie asked.

Victor then explained. “You guys are the second to perform. We got Mike singing with his rock band and then Jessica is going to give a big speech. After that but before we all start eating it’ll be you guys on the center dance floor, okay?”

Julie and Chace looked at each other, weighed their options, then looked back at Victor.

“Sure,” Chace said. “It’s been a fun ride getting here, it’ll be a fun ride to do this performance.”

“Man, are you high? What the heck are you talking about?” Sofia asked.

Julie explained after taking a quick sip of water. “You guys don’t know this but he and I have been together for years. We broke up and we just got back together when we had that meeting at the Flaming Margarita. It’s been one heck of a ride for us.”

Everybody at the table applauded. Julie couldn’t help but stare at Chace and they exchanged glances of pride and achievement.

“I told you this could work, Jules,” Chace whispered into Julie’s ear.

Julie nodded and patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s go slay ‘em, champ.”

She may have been broken before. She knew she screwed everything up when she cheated on him all those years ago. If it wasn’t for Melissa standing by her side and Ned helping out in every little way possible, she knew she wouldn’t have made it. She would have completely lost her mind.

The first half of the party was pretty much the standard affair. Mike and some of his friends – not all of which were their batch mates – performed a modern version of a Led Zeppelin song. They were then followed by Jessica who gave a big speech about staying in touch through the years and how they all hoped these reunion parties could be organized every other year. She revealed she wanted to make sure they could always keep track of everyone in the batch.

It was after her speech that Julie and Chace got called for their performance.

“Let’s show them how it’s done,” Chace stated with confidence as he got up from his seat and reached out for her hand. “I know we’ve got this.”

Julie gave back a smile. In the back of her head she was still a little bit nervous and she knew there was a lot riding on this dance. This dance could showcase to the rest of their friends and batch mates that they were the right people for each other, that this relationship was good. It would also eliminate the preconception that they were two of the most forgettable people in their batch. This would give them a moment to shine.

The lights dimmed and the music began to play.

Chace was the first to move and he dashed towards Julie with such precision and style that the audience applauded them within the first few moments of their dance. Julie responded in kind, swaying and tapping her feet in rhythm to the beat until they finally clashed in the center of the room. Their bodies melded into one and their hands roamed each other’s bodies before they eventually collided in a deadly lock.

The song hit its first chorus and this was where their first major move took place. Right as the beat and melody rose into a crescendo, Chace used his right hand to grab her by her left hand and they went in separate directions. As soon as their arms went straight and lock, he tugged hard and Julie twirled into his arms and he passed her to his left side. Using his left arm and hand he grabbed her from the back and let her lean as far down as possible. As he did, Julie was surprised to see him come down and land a kiss right on her lips.

Another round of applause exploded all around them. Chace grabbed her again and twirled her to her feet. The beat simplified over the course of these actions, mellowing back down the second verse, giving room for them to execute the more basic move sets of Cha-cha.

“Everyone’s looking at us,” Julie whispered as soon as she inched close enough for him to hear her.

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